COTSWOLDS

The Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England, sometimes called the "heart of England", a hilly area reaching over 300 m or 1000 feet. The area has been designated as the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Their highest point is Cleeve Hill at 330m/1083ft.

The Cotswolds lie within the current ceremonial counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The county of Gloucestershire forms the largest area of the Cotswolds.

Typical Cotswold towns are Broadway, Burford, Chipping Norton, Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold. The Cotswold village of Chipping Campden is notable for being the home of the Arts and Crafts movement, founded by William Morris at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. William Morris lived, occasionally, in Broadway Tower a folly now in country park. Chipping Campden is also well known for the annual Cotswold Games, a celebration of sports and games dating back to the early 17th century.

The spine of the Cotswolds runs southwest to northeast through six counties , particularly Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and southern Warwickshire. The northern and western edges of the Cotswolds are marked by steep escarpments down to the Severn valley and the Avon, the eastern boundary by the city of Oxford (the city of dreaming spires), the west by Stroud, and the south by the middle reaches of the Thames Valley and towns such as Cirencester, Lechlade and Fairford. However, key features of the area, including the characteristic uplift of the 'Cotswold Edge' can be clearly seen as far south as Bath.

COTSWOLDS ATTRACTIONS

Chipping Campden - is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the UK.
Horse riding and, for the many ramblers, the Cotswold Way.
Broadway Magic Experience, Broadway
Broadway Tower Country Park - home to the renowned printing press of Sir Thomas Phillips
Blenheim Palace - magnificent English Baroque Palace with its priceless collections, to the Pleasure Gardens filled with activities for children to enjoy.
Snowshill Manor - Cotswold manor house with eclectic collection and Arts & Crafts-style garden. Owned by the National Trust
Sezincote - This garden at Sezincote surrounds a fine house built to encompass Indian character in 1810. It is reminiscent of the Brighton Dome.
Hidcote Manor Garden - Celebrated 20th-century garden in the beautiful North Cotswolds.
Kiftsgate Court Gardens - is a series of interconnecting gardens each with its distinct character and secrets. Let them share their secrets with you.
Sudeley Castle and Gardens - This garden at Sudeley Castle surrounds a fine castle which was desecrated by Cromwell in the Civil war.

TRANSPORT LINKS

The Cotswolds are easy to reach from Europe with ferry services via Hull, Felixstowe, Harwich, Holyhead and Pembroke. The Eurostar train from Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris links London's Waterloo International Station in just over 3 hours. Le Shuttle, vehicle carrying trains operate between Calais and Folkestone, a journey of about 35 minutes.

Airports
Travelling to the Cotswolds is fairly easy. The Cotswolds is at the heart of England & is ideally situated to the regional airports at Bristol & Birmingham & only an hour or two from London Heathrow.

Roads To The Cotswolds
There are good motorway links from all directions with the M4 & M40 from London, the M6 from the north, M5 from the south & from the north east use the M1 & M42

Cotswold Rail Links
If you are travelling to the Cotswolds by rail then the major services from London & the South West is First Great Western & Wessex Trains with Virgin Trains using the west coast line & First Great Western Link from the east of the Cotswolds. There are stations at Swindon, Oxford, Kemble, Moreton in Marsh, Kingham, Bath, Evesham, Warwick, Banbury, Stroud, Stonehouse, Dursley, Bradford on Avon, Gloucester and Cheltenham. These cover all the main routes into the area.

Cotswold Bus & Coach Services
The The National Express company serves most of the main towns in the Cotswolds including Cirencester, Cheltenham, Oxford & Gloucester. There are local bus companies that operate services to the rest of the area.

Exploring the Cotswolds by bus is relatively easy, although some routes don't have services on a Sunday & other routes are limited. The "Explore the Cotswolds by Public Transport" is available from Visitor Information Centres throughout the area.